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Abythera mission 02 · One- or two-shotArchive / 01.02
From the world of Abythera

Ephemera

A sealed city, a guarded exit, and an escape that demands allies.

Orion Starshard, a gaunt pale-haired man whose dark sleeve swirls with trapped spectral faces.
Beneath the mountain / FreedomOrion Starshard · Ruler of Ephemera
The opening

A sealed city has nowhere left to turn. Your group may be its only chance at freedom, but getting everyone out means confronting the power that keeps them trapped.

About two thousand prisoners live in a sealed city deep inside a vast underground cavern. They have built a society of their own, but Orion Starshard controls the supplies and the exit. Your group needs a way to freedom and allies who can help make it happen.

The Ash Hands and the Pearl Divers are very different factions, but both can become allies if you know how to approach them. Working with them takes tact, and every agreement may force you to compromise. Orion guards a horrifying artifact, and getting everyone out will demand more than finding an exit.

Format
One-shot or two sessions
Players
3-5 players · Tier 1
Play time
5-8 hours
VTT maps
Two VTT-ready maps
In Abythera
Mission 02 · Also playable on its own
View on DriveThruRPG
01

Your allies have their own interests

A faction may help you while making trouble elsewhere. Think carefully about who you trust and what they want in return.

02

Plan the way out

A route into Orion's estate is only the first piece of the plan. The rest depends on who will risk helping you, what they demand, and whether Ephemera can move as one.

03

A whole city is at stake

Behind its sealed doors, Ephemera has become a city of its own, with lives, loyalties, and conflicts that make escape a question of more than finding the exit. When a way out finally opens, your group must decide who gets a chance to leave and what becomes of the artifact Orion keeps.

Characters

Characters of the sealed city

Two thousand prisoners, competing agendas, and the man who holds the keys.

Orion Starshard, a gaunt pale-haired man whose dark sleeve swirls with trapped spectral faces.01
Ruler of Ephemera · Soul Alchemist

Orion Starshard

Orion controls the city's supplies and the only known way out. A horrifying artifact is part of his power, and escaping Ephemera will not be easy.

Vespera, a dark-haired woman with curved horns and amber eyes standing beside an underground canal.02
Key Operative · Faction Contact

Vespera

Vespera is a contact in the city's faction politics. You'll have to work out how far you can trust her when you start asking about escape.

Rook, a grinning simiah rogue in leather armor resting his hands near twin curved daggers.03
Underground Broker · Blade for Hire

Rook

A simiah rogue with two curved daggers and connections in the underground city. Rook is another contact to consider when your escape plan needs help.

Lyra, a warm-faced woman with glowing antennae carrying a steaming bowl of stew through a stone tunnel.04
Community Heart · Keeper of the Kitchens

Lyra

Lyra brings warmth to a terrible place, always looking for ways to make life better for everyone around her.

Olli, a gaunt, scarred elf crouching in a dim stone alcove beside glowing blue mushrooms.05
Character portrait · Ephemera

Olli

The scars Ephemera leaves behind never fade.

The adventure / 01

Life behind the sealed doors

Ephemera has been sealed away for so long that hope has given way to desperation. Nearly everyone wants out, but trust is hard to earn and no one agrees on how to escape. You decide who to approach and what kind of escape to pursue.

The adventure / 02

Orion's experiments and excuses

Orion believes his actions are justified. You can fight him, negotiate with him, or turn others against him. As you investigate his rule, the mystery of the captive souls gives you another reason to question his account.

The adventure / 03

One long session or two shorter ones

Plan for 5-8 hours with 3-5 Tier 1 players, either in one long session or across two shorter sessions. In Abythera, returning from Ephemera adds developments to the hub and clues to the campaign mystery. As a standalone adventure, the goal is freedom for the underground city.

Artwork & maps

Artifacts, hideouts & tactical maps

From the disputed Aeonic Veil to faction war rooms and battlemaps of Orion's estate.

The Aeonic Veil, a spiked dark-metal armlet surrounded by shadow.Central Artifact
The Aeonic VeilA spiked dark-metal armlet wreathed in shadow, said to arrest souls at the threshold of death.
A wooden table surrounded by high-backed chairs below a banner of black handprints and a hand-drawn map.Faction Hideout
Ash Hands War RoomWhere escape routes and faction demands are bargained over candlelight.
Hooded figures gathered around candlelit tables in a subterranean stone tavern.Underground Hub
The Falcon DenWhispered conspiracies in the bioluminescent tavern tunnels.
Top-down battlemap of Orion's fortress interior.Battlemap 01
Orion's Estate · Upper FloorTactical map for infiltrating the residence, guard quarters, and study.
Top-down battlemap of the underground dock and cellar beneath Orion's fortress.Battlemap 02
Orion's Cellar & DockThe subterranean waterway, holding cells, and secret boat landing beneath the estate.
Top-down battlemap of the underground town square and surrounding rooftops.Battlemap 03
Ephemera Town SquareThe central fountain plaza where public unrest or faction clashes can ignite.

Ephemera is part of Abythera. It also works as a standalone adventure for a Tier 1 group.

Available to download

Bring it to your table.

Find Ephemera on DriveThruRPG.

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The world behind the adventureAbytheraBuild your campaign one mission at a time.
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